Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach

It’s been labeled “Photo Bombing,” “Guerilla Projection” or my favorite, “Urban Projection,”. This is when underground artists use huge structures, such as sky scrapers, to cast their own digitally animated images for display.

“Digital Graffiti” at Alys Beach is the first outdoor festival specifically organized to showcase these unique talents. It reminds me of the white walls in Malaysia that welcomed local artists to draw, paint and tag till their heart was content in a structured and encouraging environment.

For one night, this beach-town of white stucco buildings turns into a living gallery. A dark neighborhood is lit by pathways of colored lights and innovative artwork. The event coordinator explained it simply, “Our town literally becomes their blank canvas.”

Here’s a day time shot to give you an idea of the distinctive buildings that make up the famous Alys Beach.

After the sun went down, the stimulating lights came on and the digital art was displayed for all the guests to view. If you’d like to see video of these photos in motion, go to www.digitalgraffiti.com.

After observing the extraordinary art scattered about the neighborhood, we found ourselves at a dance party, otherwise known as my “happy place”. The Dj did a fine job keeping a crowd along side a chill Vegas-styled pool (that was extremely tempting as we all stood in the Florida humidity trying to look cute and pretend that you didn’t feel the sweat dripping down your back).

A complimentary photo session invited friends to line up and pose for a picture that would probably be used later as friendly bribery and/or memorable laughing material.

Before going on, I’d like to point out the gorgeous blonde in the photos from above. Julia Cole is an upcoming singer/songwriter that I met through Tyler (the gentleman in the post “Beaches, boats and ballads”). I highly suggest checking her out (my favorite song is “Sweetheart”) and let me confirm, her stunning looks match the remarkable voice that comes out of her sweet smile.

Julia, thank you so much for the pleasant path crossing, hopefully next time we’ll get more time! Cheers to you and the journey ahead.

Ok, so this is where my night goes from amazing to heartbreaking. Without boring you with the details, just know that at this point, my body signals the call it a night siren and I decide to head home. Enter sad pouty face here. Feeling like a 9 year old that gets sick at Disneyland, I exit the fantasy evening holding high hopes that I’ll get another opportunity to experience it to the fullest.

A special thanks to Tyler and Andrew for making this a possibility for me!